Walking with the Wise #235: Faithful When Others Fail

“By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for,

and by the fear of the LORD one turns away from evil.”
—Proverbs 16:6

Every one of us knows what pain is like. We know what it's like to hurt and be hurt, to experience betrayal from someone we trust and admire. Carrying the scars of old wounds is a dreadful and painful burden, which can cripple spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically.

And if in this life we hope and seek peace in the tools and resources therein, then we are lost—adrift at sea as the tsunami of circumstance tears us from the shores of comfort and safety and as our lonely voice cries out in confusion and pain, “Why me?”

Today’s proverb says that it is through “steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for.” Sin exists and the Scripture testifies that all men are sinners—despicable creatures capable of all kinds of evil. But how can we get rid of our sin? How can we remove our guilt and shame? What kind of steadfast love and faithfulness in the world is there that can atone for our sin? We don’t have the steadfast love and faithfulness required to merit God’s approval. There is only one—Jesus Christ. He loved us more than we have loved ourselves. He is faithful, even when we have been unfaithful (cf. 2 Timothy 2:13). As the Bible says,

“Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God's house. For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God's house as a son. And we are His house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope”—Hebrews 3:1-6.

Jesus was faithful to accomplish the redemption of man by His death on the cross. And by His death, He was able to take away our sin and shame. He became our propitiation, whereby He took the wrath of God, which was due us, upon Himself by becoming our substitute. And by taking our sins upon Himself, He was able to take away our sin from us, so no longer do we have to bear our sin, shame, and guilt—it was already dealt with on the cross. Jesus enabled us to be freed from our sin and shame, from the guilt of what we have done, and given us the ability to forgive those who sinned against us as we realize that He died for their sins as well.

We may have earthly fathers disappoint us, but God will never disappoint us. He loves us with a love we cannot comprehend and offers us the love gift of His Son for us, so that we might live in Him. Amen.